|
|
John W Beck, PhD | |
My quest to make the world a better place is powerful. The core of my quest is to inspire others to learn and understand. My passions are many and my desire is that it is contagious.
This website:
Summarizes my great accomplishments.
Describes a few of my interesting websites.
Presents the story of a young man who learns from mistakes and became wise.
Inspires others to develop knowledge and skills that create a satisfying and admirable
life.
I started learning about atomic physics and nuclear power in junior high, which created a desire to become a nuclear engineer. Abundant low cost, clean energy was clearly needed for sustaining life on earth. Before graduating college my path turned towards nuclear medicine and medical imaging. This led to medical research, publications, and endless hours programming computers. I got to wear a white lab coat in the nuclear medicine department where automated scans, analysis of images, and reporting heart, lung, and brain defects resulted from my software. It was making money for the medical center. An appointment to the medical school faculty helped pay for graduate school. This, in turn, led to a PhD in electrical engineering and computer science. My dissertation was key to optimizing the hardware design and software algorithms for Single Photon Emission Tomography. My thesis was a mathematical model of blood flow through the heart. Combined, it developed the core technology for the nuclear heart scan.
One day on my way to college I stopped at a small airport south of town. Little planes taking off and landing caught my attention. An introductory lesson was $6 and seemed prohibitively expensive. Three weeks later I took that lesson. Three years after that, I passed my private pilot practical test.
Working my way through collage was a challenge. Holding three jobs while taking classes just so I could take flying lesson would lead you to believe that flying was my passion. The day I got my pilot certificate I knew that it was not just about flying. I discovered that knowledge and skill was my core value. It was the beginning of a long journey that would lead me to answer what I thought was an ancient question. The question I asked my father when I was seven, "Why am I here."
I flew to the Bahamas with a friend and his family the day after I graduated. There is nothing more beautiful than the turquoise waters surrounding the out-islands. The weather is nice, the food is excellent, and the people are warm and friendly. A new chapter was about to begin. Graduate school, the medical center, and my friends were compelling me to stay. While completing my studies, I considered several job opportunities but I planned to stay at the medical school. Bell Laboratories, owned by AT&T, was a prestigious R&D organization. The interview took two weeks and resulted in a job offer, which I declined. I loved my work at the medical center. The third offer was too good to turn down. The work was interesting, the people were great, and my supervisor was a flight instructor.
Peter was a mentor, supervisor, and friend. We worked on developing a super computer for the Navy. My job was to develop a simulator to optimize the operating principles, performance, and reliability. Our group successfully designed, developed, tested, and deployed a super computer that remained in service for sixteen years. I then worked for the vice president managing the organization, developing work programs, and managing quality, schedule, and people. My reward was two-fold. First, I studied for six months at the Defense Systems Management College to study government program management. Second, I attained my instrument rating, commercial pilot certificate, multi-engine rating, flight instructor certificate, advanced ground instructor certificate, and airline transport pilot certificate.
I went sailing. It was fun. Then, I took sailing courses and got several instructor certificates with the American Sailing Association. It was time to organize my first sailing course with my Bell Labs colleagues. I rented a bare-boat, where I would be the Captain and instructor. It was a 50' sloop, which seemed not-too-big on paper. Prior to sailing, I conducted 8 weeks of ground school meeting once a week with reading and homework. Teach as much in the classroom and enjoy the warm gentle breeze. I was a confident flight instructor and would use my combined skills to teach sailing. My goal was to sail the boat without touching anything. Much to my surprise, success and fun was the result. Explain, show, watch, and critique. On day one, I learned to single-handed sail the boat as I demonstrated tacking, jibing, and heaving to. After each sailor mastered all the stations, they also wanted to try single-handed sailing what was now a very large sailboat. By day three we were sailing on to and off of the moorings with minimum if any use of the motor. They learned to sail and I learned how to inspire and motivate. We have sailed the Caribbean, Mediterranean, and South Pacific.
I am now over 70 years old, know my purpose, and can articulate my values and principles. My purpose is to make the world a better place by inspiring, motivating, and educating my friends. My father said that there are two types of people in the world. Friends and people he has not met yet. He retired as the acting director of program planning and evaluation for the National Institute for Mental Health. My values include knowledge, truth, health, family and friends, and sustainability. And, doing something of value every day.
I look forward to working with you.